Stephen W. Kearny

Stephen Watts Kearny (30 August 1794-31 October 1848) was a Major-General of the US Army during the Mexican-American War and the military governor of California from 23 February to 31 May 1847, succeeding Robert F. Stockton and preceding Richard Barnes Mason.

Biography
Stephen Watts Kearny was born in Newark, New Jersey on 30 August 1794, the great-grandson of American Revolutionary War general William Alexander. Kearny joined the New York Militia in 1812, serving in the 13th Infantry as a lieutenant. In 1819 and 1825, he was a member of expeditions to the Yellowstone River, and he became a Lieutenant-Colonel of the US Army in 1833. During the 1840s, he protected settler wagons en route to Oregon, and he became a Brigadier-General at the start of the Mexican-American War. On 15 August 1846, his 1,700 troops peacefully captured Santa Fe, New Mexico after the Mexican Army forces there retreated into Mexico, and he proceeded to advance into California, which was in rebellion against the government of Mexico. In the Battle of San Pasqual on 6-7 December 1846, the Americans won a pyrrhic victory, with the 150-strong American army losing 18 dead and 13 wounded. It was Robert F. Stockton's fleet that would capture Los Angeles and conquer California, but Kearny was chosen to serve as the state's military governor. Kearny died in St. Louis, Missouri of yellow fever on 31 October 1848 at the age of 54.